A Hà Nội co-operative to refund $76,500 excess water bills

HÀ NỘI — A co-operative in Hà Nội’s Thanh Trì District will return nearly VNĐ1.7 billion (US$76,500) to its customers after it was found overcharging them for the water supply.

The Triều Khúc agricultural production and services co-operative, based in Tân Triều Commune, provides water to 3,364 households in Triều Khúc Village. The people were forced to pay extra for three years, from April 4, 2013, to April 30 this year, according to a June report by the finance planning division of the Thanh Trì People’s Committee.

The co-operative started supplying water in April 2013, after a Đà River project pipeline was linked to it.

The co-operative’s director Triệu Đình Nhã told the Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that a lack of guidance on how much it should charge the residents for water resulted in the overcharges.

“We plan to return the extra amount once and for all from August 10 to 24,” Nhã said.

The Thanh Trì People’s Committee asked the commune authorities to monitor the refund process and to report immediately if any violations were detected.

No charges or fines have been imposed on the collective so far for the miscalculation. — VNS